


Colors II.

by lucifersfavoritechild



Series: "It's the Perfect Story" Asides/Aus/One-Shots [8]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Luke's POV, Soulmate AU, TheBrightestNight, color soulmate au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-03 22:15:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12155886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucifersfavoritechild/pseuds/lucifersfavoritechild
Summary: A soulmate AU between Luke Castellan and OFC Tori Williams, through Luke's POV.





	Colors II.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheBrightestNight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBrightestNight/gifts).



> Some of these scenes were borrowed from It’s the Perfect Story with minor and/or major changes. Part of one scene is lifted from my previous fanfic, Scars. The song from the end is "I Walk the Line".
> 
> Also, I was planning on posting a different "angsty" fic before this one, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to work on it. But I plan to start writing it soon, and hopefully be done in a couple of weeks.

Soulmates weren’t something Luke had given a great deal of thought to. Bit too busy running away and trying not to die. After meeting Thalia, he was… well, not _disappointed_ that it wasn’t her. It was more like delayed surprise. Still, he didn’t let if affect him. Not even when Thalia died did he give it any thought. It just seemed… _unlikely_ , for him.

So it was a bit of a surprise when it happened a month later.

* * *

Luke didn’t know what to think of the new campers. They arrived just after summer ended, but the Hermes Cabin was still near-bursting, so Luke showed them to the spots that had been prepared when Chiron told them there were two new half-bloods coming. They were twins, not quite a year younger than him. The boy was clearly grief-stricken, but he had nothing on his sister’s near catatonic state. Her eyes looked past him and she went to lay down as soon as possible, quickly falling asleep. Luke’s heart panged with sympathy. He’d been in a similar state the days after Thalia turned into a tree, causing a bit of a rift between him and Annabeth.

The girl — _Tori_ — slept through the day. Luke kept an eye on her when possible, making sure no one bothered her. He was still mostly new to camp, although at the moment he was the oldest of Hermes’s camp children, so he still slept on the floor. He wasn’t far from Tori, so he checked on her before getting ready to sleep.

The night went on, but he couldn’t fall asleep. He just stared at the ceiling, Thalia’s war-cry echoing through his head as she made her last stand on the hill that bordered Camp. After a while, everyone else was asleep except him.

 _Well_ , he thought, seeing Tori get up and stumble to the bathroom, _Maybe not everyone._

He tried to ignore it when she started crying. She was a stranger. He wasn’t obligated to do or say anything.

_But if I was crying about Thalia, I would want someone to comfort me._

His mind made up, he went to knock on the bathroom door. “Can I come in?” he said as quietly as he could so as not to bother anyone else. Tori didn’t say anything; she was still crying. He opened the door anyway and made his way to the farthest shower stall. Tori was sitting on the tiled floor, her grey arms wrapped around her knees. “Are you okay?” he asked, trying to sound calm and nonjudgmental. She didn’t say anything, and Luke rolled his eyes when he realized how stupid he sounded. “Stupid question. Of course you’re not okay, you’re crying on the bathroom floor.” He went to his knees in front of her, trying to look as small and unintimidating as possible. He reached his hand out to her shoulder to comfort her, but she jerked away from him, pressing herself against the wall. Luke held his hands up placatingly. “Okay, you don’t want to be touched. I understand. Can you tell me what’s wrong?”  
  
For a few moments — long enough for him to start to think this was a bad idea — they sat in silence. He was almost ready to leave her alone when she said in a small, pained voice, “My mom’s dead.”  
  
He didn’t say anything. What could he say? _I know what you’re going through?_ He didn’t, not really. His mom was crazy, not dead. And Thalia… he didn’t want to think about Thalia.

Tori closed her eyes, waiting for… something. Not knowing what to do, but not able to do nothing, he sat next to her, resting his head against the wall. He didn’t say anything; there was nothing to say. But somehow, it seems to work. She relaxes slightly, and seems content to sit with him.

He got up eventually, reaching out a hand to help her stand. She didn’t take it. But she did whisper, “Thank you.”

Luke nodded in acknowledgement and walked her back to the bedroom.

* * *

Tori was too busy getting acclimated to camp for them to speak at all the next week. He _did_ hear from Chiron that she was a good archer, but that was it. She seemed more aware of the world by her second week — which was good, since she had a test to take. Luke hadn’t been there more than a couple of months himself, but since he was more experienced in _actual_ fighting, Chiron recruited him to ensure the safety of the tested campers. Luke sat through the first two people’s advancement tests in boredom. They were done quickly, killing any monsters with a sword and knives respectively. Tori was the third one, and it would be her brother Dan after her.

Luke trailed Tori through the woods, watching with admiration as she killed the first two monsters with her bow. _And she’s blonde. At least, I think she is._ Her hair was the pale, almost-white that non-bonded people associated with blonde. _Is she one of Apollo’s kids?_ _Maybe._ As far as he knew, she had no experience fighting before coming to camp, but she picked up on archery so quickly…

It was what he was thinking as she confronted the third monster, a black hellhound with fiery eyes. A simple arrow through either of the small grey pits would disable the monster long enough for her to kill it. Simple enough.

Or it should have been.

Tori froze completely. Luke’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he watched. _What’s she doing?_ He grabbed his sword handle, but for a moment, it looked like she was about to let her arrow fly. Then she stopped moving entirely, panic and fear overwhelming her features. She didn’t react until the hellhound pounced on her, knocking her to the ground and trying to get to her throat.

 _Shit._ Luke unsheathed his sword and ran over as quickly as he could while Tori tried to hold the monster off. It swiped at her while she held it back by the throat, catching a small spot on her neck. Dark grey blood poured out the wound as he came up on the hellhound’s side, slashing it with his sword. It roared angrily at him, but he used the opportunity to stab it in the neck. It dissolved into silver dust that floated in the wind.

Luke knelt down next to Tori, who was using a hand to stop the flow of blood from her neck. It wasn’t working. “CHIRON! CHIRON, _TORI’S HURT!_ ” His hand went to cover her own hurriedly—

And that’s when it happened.

He was staring into her eyes when it did. _What…_ It took him a moment to realize what was happening in the confusion. _What color is that?_ Then Chiron and some other campers were surrounding them, and one of the Apollo campers started to pour nectar down her throat as Luke sat staring. The wound closed, by the danger wasn’t gone. Someone started to pick her up, but Luke stopped them. “I’ve… I’ve got her.” They gave him a weird look, but he ignored it as he took Tori in his arms. She was lighter than he expected. Blood got over his hands and grey shirt as they worked. _Blood’s red, right?_ And Tori’s hair was blonde, which was yellow, and the sky was blue, and grass was green…

He groaned as the information began to overwhelm him. He laid Tori down on a bed in the infirmary as several of Apollo’s children hovered around her.

Chiron turned to look at him. “Thank you for helping, Luke. You can go now.”

Luke stared at him, uncomprehending in the face of all the new information bursting from his brain. “I… I can’t.”

Chiron frowned. Next to Tori’s cot, someone looked over at him suspiciously. _Dan_ , he realized with a start. He looked completely different…

Chiron cleared his throat, drawing Luke’s eyes back to him. “She’s… she’s my soulmate.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Then Dan said under his breath, “No fucking way.”

“It’s true,” Luke said, still dazed, “I touched her hand in the woods and I started seeing…”

“Colors?” Dan demanded, sitting protectively at his sister’s side, like he thought Luke might try to take her and run. “That doesn’t mean anything. You don’t have any right to her.”

Luke stared at him. “I don’t… I just want to stay with her.”

“As is his right,” Chiron said, giving Dan a hard look. “Soulmates have special visitation rights unless otherwise requested. And Victoria is not really in a state to make that decision.”

Luke breathed in relief and stood slightly away from Tori’s bed as the medics returned to their work. Her skin had paled slightly and her neck was still a wreck, but that wasn’t what Luke paid attention to. What he saw was the rich color of her skin, the shine of her hair, the red of her blood.

He had to leave the room when they changed her into an infirmary gown and took her clothes to be cleaned. He stood outside the door, leaning back against the wall and resting his eyes.

“Luke?”

His eyes snapped open. Chiron was back in his wheelchair, holding a book out to him. Luke’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he took it. “ _The Color Thesaurus_?”

Chiron nodded. “I thought you might find it useful.”

“Thank you,” Luke said sincerely, opening it. Along with a small section for each of the primary and secondary colors, there were pages for pink, brown, black, grey, and white, as well as hair, skin, and eye colors. Luke looked at the page for eyes first. _Brown._ It was noted as being incredibly common, but Luke had a hard time thinking of it as anything other than the first color he’d ever seen.

Once they were done with Tori, he went back to the infirmary and stayed there the rest of the day, asking one of his younger siblings to bring him lunch and dinner and alternating between practicing his sword stances and memorizing the new colors in the meantime. Dan was still there, worrying over Tori and occasionally shooting Luke suspicious looks.

Night came, and Tori still hadn’t woken up. Chiron rolled up next to him and said, “Dan, Luke, it’s time that you retired to Cabin 11.”

They were both arguing with him before Chiron even finished his sentence. “Why can’t I stay?” Luke demanded. “Shouldn’t she have someone to make sure she’s okay and help her if she needs something?”

“Oh, and you think that should be you?” Dan asked.

The two started arguing while Chiron tried to calm them. “Boys, please, I understand that you’re both upset, but you still have to follow the rules—”

Luke whipped around to face him. “Chiron, _please_ , I’m her soulmate, I should be allowed to stay with her—”  
  
“Oh, shut up, pretty boy!” Dan shouted angrily. “I’m her brother, I’ve known her my whole life, and if anyone is going to stay with her, it’ll be me!”  
  
Before he could respond, Tori croaked out, “What’s—” before coughing. Dan and Luke quickly went to her side. Tori looked up at them, her eyes widening. _Probably from the colors_ , Luke thought with a stab of pity, _She passed out before she really got a chance to understand what was happening._ Tori snapped him out of his thoughts by saying, “Luke.”

He smiled at her. “Hey.” Dan scoffed angrily, and Luke shot him an angry look. Then Tori tried to say something else, but apparently her throat didn’t agree with her, and she made a thick, angry coughing sound. She reached her hand up to her neck, seeming to realize for the first time that there were bandages there.

“Your throat was hurt pretty bad,” Luke explained in what he hoped was a soothing voice, “Luckily, the Apollo campers were able to fix it, but you’re going to be recovering for a couple more days.” Guilt was trying to eat him alive. “I’m so sorry, I should have gotten to you sooner—”  
  
“Damn right you should have!” Dan shouted. “Now would you get out? We don’t know you, and we don’t want you in here!”  
  
“That’s enough, both of you,” Chiron said firmly, looking between the two of them. “Now, one of you may stay, _if Victoria wants you to_ , to make sure she’s alright and get help if she needs it. Tori, would you like one of them to stay with you?”  
  
Tori thought about for a moment, rubbing her neck absently as she looked down.

 _She’ll want her brother with her._ Alright, that was perfectly normal and he shouldn’t expect—

“Luke,” she said before a painful look passed over her face, and she rubbed her throat and whimpered. Luke started to reach a hand out to comfort her before taking it back, remembering how badly she’d reacted to touch in the bathroom.

“Tori, please…” Dan was looking at his sister with hurt eyes. Luke felt sorry for him; the day must have been even worse for him, having lost their mother only a little while ago.

“I’m sorry, Dan,” Chiron said, making to leave, “Your sister has made her choice. Now go. It’s time to sleep. I’ll check on you in the morning, Victoria.”

Dan looked at his sister one last time before mumbling a goodbye and leaving. Luke pulled up a chair next to Tori’s bedside while he did, sitting down as the door closed.

Once Dan and Chiron were gone, Tori tugged on Luke’s shirt. He sat up, looking at her. “What do you need?” he asked, expecting her to ask for some food or water. Instead, Tori poked her blanket, then pointed to her eyes. Luke nodded. “It’s yellow, I think.” It might have been a light brown, or off-white. He wasn’t entirely sure. “Hang on.” He stood up and walked to the next door room, where he’d left the book earlier. He came back and handed it to Tori. “It’s _The Color Thesaurus_.” She flipped through it, staring at the pages until she found the yellow section. She ran her fingers over the pages reverently before comparing the pages to her blanket. A beat passed, and she pointed out one of the little squares to him. Luke looked at it and nodded. “‘ _Daffodil’_ ”, he said, “Yeah, I think that’s it. Not as pale, though.”

Tori nodded once and looked up, staring at him for several moments. Luke frowned and started shifting from foot to foot. “What?”

“Eyes,” she said quietly, her voice rough, “Your eyes.”

“Oh,” Luke said, hoping he wasn’t blushing, “They’re, uh, blue. Pale blue.” Several people had told him that before he came to camp, usually without him asking. He’d finally seen it for himself in the bathroom mirror earlier.

Tori reached up and brushed the skin beside his eye with her thumb. “I like them.”

Luke suddenly raised his hand, holding hers to his face. They stared at each other, blue eyes meeting brown. Worried he might do something he couldn’t take back, Luke said, “We should get some sleep.” Tori nodded, yawning. Luke settled down in the bed nearest hers. “Good night.” Tori repeated her nod and yawn before snuggling into her pillow. Luke stared at her even after she fell asleep. Her skin was a bronze-like brown that he hadn’t been able to identify, and her long hair was golden-blonde. Her eyes reminded him of onyx.

 _A soulmate made of gems and precious metals_ , Luke mused. Most would say he was lucky.

Against his will, his mind conjured an image of Thalia. She had been pale, with short black hair and pale eyes that he thought were blue. The two could not have looked more different.

 _Stop that_ , he demanded. Thalia was gone, and there was nothing he could do about that. _Apparently there’s nothing the King of the Gods can do, either_ , he thought bitterly.

Luke sighed, tired. There was nothing he could do for Thalia now. And the thing with Tori could wait to the morning. He smacked his head on the pillow determinedly and slammed his eyes shut. He fell asleep to the sound of Tori snoring lightly.

* * *

Though the wound had closed, Tori’s neck was still badly injured. She would have to stay in the infirmary for several days. Luke was still new to the whole soulmate thing, but he was pretty sure it was bad form to leave your injured soulmate alone. He stayed in the infirmary with her, having one of his siblings bring him meals and clearing a space to practice with his sword.

The morning of the first day, before Tori woke up, Luke went down to the beach. Thinking of her last night had given him an idea. In America and much of Europe, it was a tradition to give your soulmate a gift soon after you met. It was called an _acknowledgement gift_. Eventually, if Tori ever fell in love with him, she would give him an _acceptance gift_ in return.

He waded out in the water and waited awkwardly, not entirely sure what to do. Then a teenage girl wearing blue jeans and a shimmering green shirt rose up out of the water — a _neied_. She smiled flirtingly at him. “Hi! Do you need some help?”

Luke explained what he needed to her, using his most charming voice and smiles. “So can you help me?” he asked imploringly.

The girl didn’t even think about it. “Of _course_ I will! Soulmates are _so_ romantic!” She sighed dreamily. “Humans are so lucky!”

Luke smiled to hide his mixed feelings about what was happening and returned to the infirmary, just in time to see Tori wake up. They ate breakfast together while Luke tried to figure out more about her. _Her hands are soft._ His own were already calloused from years of swordsplay. _But she has indents on her fingers. Maybe she plays an instrument?_ He asked her, and she quietly admitted that she played the guitar. _Is she quiet because of her throat or because she doesn’t know what to expect from me?_ He didn’t ask her that.

He made an excuse to sneak out after lunch and went to meet the _neied_. She was already at the beach, her hands clasped together as though to hide something. “Hey!”

Luke smiled, trying not to be annoyed after she’d helped him. “Hi. Do you have them?”

She nodded and opened her hands to show him. In them lay over two dozen pieces of sea glass in all sorts of colors that made his head spin. Luke smiled. “They’re perfect. Thank you _so_ much.” He left quickly and stopped by the Hephaestus Cabin. Someone opened it a moment after he knocked. It was the current head of the cabin, an older girl who would probably be gone next year. She seemed suspicious of him at first, but her expression softened slightly once he explained what he wanted. They didn’t know each other and she wasn’t as easily convinced at the _neied_ though, so a deal was necessary. One promise of a 12-pack of root beer later (the Hermes Cabin had its advantages), she had agreed.

The next day Tori was well enough to speak often, as long as she didn’t shout or sing. For the most part she complained about still being stuck in the infirmary, but sometimes she told him about the movies she liked and how excited she was to see them in color. Luke listened, but added little. It was hard to find the time to catch a movie in between running from monsters, he’d found.

He left while Tori was taking a shower, jogging over to Cabin 9. The cabin head gave him the finished bracelet by unceremoniously dumping it in his hands. The metal was still warm.

They set a time for Luke to drop off the root beer and he left, stopping by the Aphrodite Cabin to charm a jewelry box out of one of the girls there.

He sat in the infirmary while he waited for Tori to finish showering, and nodded in satisfaction at the finished product. Now he just had to figure out when to give it to her.

The third day passed by peacefully. Luke talked Chiron into letting him set up a TV and VCR in the infirmary and they watch _The Song of Achilles_ — a movie about the Greek demigod Achilles and his soulmate Patroclus, and their part in the Trojan War. It was a story Luke knew well, even if he’d never seen the movie. Tori _had_ seen it, but never like this. The first part of the movie, which took place before the doomed couple met, was entirely in black and white. But when they touched…

Luke heard Tori take in a sharp breath. He might have gasped a bit, himself. They’d been watching the movie in the dark, and the change from all grey to color was mesmerizing. But then Patroclus died…

Tori started silently crying then, turning her head slightly so he wouldn’t see it. He didn’t say anything. He was tearing up a bit, too. If the change from grey to color was amazing, then to go from color to grey was horrific. Luke looked at Tori and felt the temptation to hold her, comfort her. Then he thought of Thalia again, and looked away.

The next day an Apollo camper came to remove Tori’s bandages. Luke hovered at her side, helping where he could but mostly just making sure she was okay.

The girl finished her work and nodded in satisfaction. “You two can go back to the Hermes Cabin, now.”

Tori thanked her and Luke set about getting their stuff together. When he was done, he asked Tori, “You ready to go?” He was pretty sure she was eyeing his back; he’d caught her doing that a couple of times, and just smiled whenever she did, amused.

Instead, Tori sighed and said, “Actually, I was wondering if we could talk for a minute.”

 _Uh oh_. Could someone break up with you if you weren’t actually dating?

He looked back at her warily and nodded. “Sure, whatever you want.” He sat down next to her with his shoulder pressed against hers, cursing mentally when she shifted uncomfortably.

“Luke,” she began, holding her hands in front of her, “can we just… Can we just be friends, for now? I’m sorry, but it’s a lot to take in. I mean, I _just_ found out I’m a demigod, and my mom… it’s just too much even without adding a soulmate to it, you know?”

Luke let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. The tightness in his chest that he hadn’t realized was there loosened, and he could breathe easier. “Yeah, I understand. And I’d like to be your friend.”

Tori made a relieved sound. “Thank you.”

Luke smiled warmly and stood up, but Tori caught his hand. “Also… well, I know you’re a really good sword fighter, and I was wondering if, maybe, you could teach me?”  
  
Luke’s face shifted in confusion. “I thought you were an archer?”  
  
She nodded, looking at her hands. _Look up_ , he thought, _I don’t want a soulmate who can’t even face me._ “I am. A beginner, at least. But I figure it can’t hurt to be able to do both, right? Sword-fighting and archery?”  
  
Luke looked at her apprehensively and crossed his arms. “I feel like you’re not telling me something.”  
  
Tori looked away from him, her cheeks and neck turning pink. She was staring at her hands, picking at the nails. “I just… I don’t want to be vulnerable.”

Luke’s expression softened and he took one of Tori’s hands in his, squeezing it gently. “Of course I’ll teach you.” _Now would be a good time_ , he thought with a smile. “As long as we’re talking, I, um, got you a present.” He felt around in his pocket for the box and handed it to her, quickly moving to scratch the back of his neck nervously. “You don’t have to keep it if you don’t want it, I just thought you might like it.”

Tori took the cream-colored box with its brown ribbon, looking at it curiously while she opened it. Her breath hitched. She picked up the bracelet carefully, like she was afraid it would break, and sat watching the sunlight shine off the glass. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. It was a silver charm bracelet with ten pieces of linked sea glass, each of them a different color.

Luke grinned, relieved. “You like it?” He had been worried she might not accept it — a symbolic denouncement of their bond.  
  
Tori smiled widely, her brown eyes sparkling. “I love it!” She put it on her left wrist, turning it around and watching the colored light bouncing off it in wonder. She looked up at Luke with a cheesy grin, and he had to resist the urge to kiss her by.

Tori caught him off-guard by leaping up from the bed and throwing her arms around his neck. Luke stumbled back in surprise, then grinned and wrapped his arms around her, setting his hands on her lower back. She was tense for a moment before relaxing. When they pulled away from each other, he couldn't keep himself from looking at her eyes.

* * *

Luke slashed at the dummy in calm, furious swipes, his muscles straining. He pulled back to wipe the sweat from his brow.

“Why don’t you take a break?”

Luke turned to look on Tori. She was sitting back against a wall with a guitar in her lap and a notebook to her side. It looked like she’d been writing down music notes. Writing a song, maybe?

“What?”

Tori huffed and moved a lock of hair from out of her eyes. “I _said_ , why don’t you take a break?”

Luke looked a bit lost, and just shrugged. “I’m not done yet.”

“Well yeah, but it’s Saturday. You don’t even have to train today.”

“I train _every_ day,” Luke told her, not sure what she was getting at.

Tori snorted. “Yeah. I noticed. But you don’t have to.”

“No…” Luke conceded. “But I still should.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to exercise that much. It wears your body down.”

Luke huffed. “That’s not the point. It’s—” He stopped.

Tori looked up at him worriedly, setting her sword to the side. “Luke?”

He sighed and set his sword down, swinging his arms in an effort to let go of his tension. Tori stood up and walked over to him, reaching a hand out to his arm. He thought about moving, but didn’t. Tori set her hand on his upper arm. “What’s the point, Luke?” She paused. “Is it about Thalia?” Luke flinched. Tori nodded as though this confirmed what she believed. “Can you tell me about it?”

For a long time, Luke was silent, his eyes trained on the floor. Then he said, “Before Annabeth and I got to camp, we were tricked by some cyclops. Thalia and I were captured. Annabeth had to save us.” Tori looked surprised by that. _Probably wondering how a tiny thing like Beth could take on a pack of cyclops_ , Luke thought with a bit of pride for Annabeth’s skill before he remembered what they were talking about. “If we hadn’t gotten caught — if I had been a bit faster, or smarter, or more skilled — then we might not have been caught and the monsters chasing us couldn’t have caught up, and Thalia might still be alive.” His eyes started to tear up, so he wrenched himself away from her, turning to face the desiccated practice dummy.

“Luke,” Tori said softly, laying her hand gently on his back, “That wasn’t your fault. None of it was.”

He almost pulled away from her again. But her hand felt nice and her voice was soft and sweet. Luke allowed Tori to turn him back around and wrap her arms around him.

 _She’s so soft._ Thalia had been lean and hard from living on the streets, but Tori hadn’t even been here long enough to have any real muscle to speak off. She felt oddly normal compared to the rest of his life.

Tori pulled back to look at him. She was frowning. “That’s not all there is to it, is it?”

Luke stared at her and slowly shook his head.

“Tell me,” she said softly.

Luke pulled away from her and stalked around, gesturing with his hands. “It’s just…” He huffed in irritation. “I want to _make_ something of myself. I want to do great things. I want to be the sort of hero people still talk about three thousand years from now,” he said, suddenly standing still. He looked at her, not sure if he should expect approval or condescension.

Tori simply said, “You will be,” making it sound like a promise.

Luke let out a breath. “Thank you.” Tori smiled. Luke thought about it for a moment, then added, “And if it worries you, then I guess I could take Sundays off training.”

“Good enough,” she said happily. “Now come here. I want to show you this song I’m composing…”

* * *

The year had come and gone, and summer was on its way out. Luke and Tori had gotten used to having each other in their lives, and had celebrated their birthdays together. Luke had even gotten her a steel-blue leather jacket for Christmas that she wore whenever it was cold enough for it. Now it was the Fourth of July, and the entire camp was getting ready for the fireworks. Tori was excited, he knew. She’d never seen fireworks in color, not even on TV or in a movie. Luke thought it would probably be cool, but he didn’t want to get his hopes too high. How different could they be?

They laid out a blanket on the beach, a bit away from the bulk of the Hermes campers. Hephaestus’s children had anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with tons of fireworks. Luke hadn’t seen the display before, but he doubted they’d be your run-of-the-mill explosions.

They sat down on the blanket. Luke leaned back on his hands while Tori sat crossed legged. Luke handed her an orange soda from the cooler he’d brought with them. It always amused her to think that the color had been named after the fruit, and not the other way around. Tori shook her head with a small smile. “Where do you get this stuff?”

Luke grinned sneakily. “The children of Hermes have many secrets,” he said cryptically, ignoring, for the moment, the pang of bitterness he felt at the thought of his father. “Drink up.” He grabbed a mini-bag of Cheetos for himself and sat back.

Tori snorted and did as he said, chugging the soda as well as she could without choking. When she was done, she set the empty can in the sand. Luke stared at her in disbelief. “Did you just drink the _whole thing_?”

Tori blushed, barely visible in the torch-and-moon light. “What? I was thirsty.”

Luke was about to say something else before someone shouted, “Everyone, _BE QUIET!_ _It’s starting!_ ” The campers sat back in hushed silence and waited.

For a moment, it seemed like nothing would happen. Then light _exploded_ against the black sky. A crimson Herakles killed a golden lion with teeth of silver before a purple Artemis started chasing a reddish-brown boar.

“Whoa,” Tori said in quiet awe. Luke nodded his agreement, unable to speak. Achilles was orange and yellow as he speared Hector. _Like fire._ A midnight-blue Orion ran from a giant scorpion that seemed to glow black — and wasn’t it strange that even black looked different to him now? Full of shining purple and blue...

A sea-green Odysseus battled the Cyclops, stabbing his eye before they dissolved. Jason sailed on the _Argo_ and Orpheus played his lyre.

Too soon it was the finale, and a pair of hundred-foot tall Spartan soldiers burst into beautiful golden life. They fought until one of them beheaded the other, and then they both exploded into a dozen different colors. The colors were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He looked at Tori, wondering what she thought of it.

 _Well, second most beautiful thing._ The golden light lit up her soft brown features. Her eyes were shining like amber.

That was the end of the animated portion, and the rest were simple things like flowers and swords. They stayed staring up at the sky nonetheless, and Tori moved closer to him. Not letting himself feel nervous, Luke put his arm around her shoulder, and breathed out in relief when she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“It’s wonderful,” Tori breathed. Luke didn’t say anything; there was nothing _to_ say. Instead, he just held Tori closer and resisted the urge to kiss her as light exploded above them.

* * *

Luke rested his head on his arms, lying on his back. They were having a quiet afternoon next to the river that cut the Camp Halfblood forest in half. Tori was sitting with her back against a weeping willow, playing a song she’d composed. It was nice; peaceful. Luke found himself humming along to it as Tori started over at his request. This time when it was over, Tori set her guitar aside. Luke’s eyes opened and he frowned. “Aw, I liked that.”

Tori smiled nervously. “Did you?”

He nodded and smiled, patting her knee. “It was great, Tori. I mean it.”

Tori rolled her eyes. “Oh, you’re just saying that to get in my pants.”

Luke blushed and sat up, stumbling over his words. “What? Tori, I… I didn’t mean…”

Tori suddenly burst out laughing, almost curling over entirely. “ _Oh my god..._ _Your… face…_ ” She laughed again and rolled over, falling back against the grass as laughter rocked her body.

Luke rolled his eyes, trying to regain control of his blood flow. “Oh, come on, I didn’t…” Tori just kept laughing. He went over to her as quickly as he could without standing. “It wasn’t even that _funny_!”

She looked up at him, eyes half-lidded with laughter. “Your _reaction_ was funny.” She adopted a look of mock-horror before bursting into a fresh round of laughter.

Luke scowled, feeling his ears heat up. “No it wasn’t.”

“Was!”

“Wasn’t.”

“Was!”

“Wasn’t.”

Tori sat up and pushed him playfully, grinning. “Was.” Luke smirked and pushed back, rolling on top of her. “Wasn’t.” They rolled around on the ground, wrestling as each of them tried to get the other to hold still. Luke eventually won, slamming Tori against the ground, though not hard enough to hurt her. He held her down by her wrists and straddled her hips, trying not to put too much weight on her.

Luke smirked at his victory and pulled back to look at her. The sun was shining like a spotlight, drawing his gaze to her hair, her eyes, her mouth, the buttons of her blouse…

For a moment, he was tempted to lean down and kiss her, to taste those sweet pink lips and claim her as his own.

Tori tried to free herself from his hands. Luke stopped her, thinking for the moment that it was still just a game. Then he saw the look in Tori’s eyes. They were shining with unshed tears, and she was shaking, _whimpering…_

Luke let go of her like he’d been burnt and rolled away, moving back until he was up against the willow tree. Tori stayed where she was until she had regained control of herself. She sat up, but she was still shaking slightly. Luke wanted to comfort her, but he couldn’t now, not when he was the source of her fear.

Tori stopped shaking entirely after a minute, and was breathing in and out so loud he could hear it. “Tori?” Luke asked quietly. “Are you… what happened?”

Tori froze before turning to look at her. “I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t think… that that would happen.”

“That _what_ would happen? Why did you… Tori, did I hurt you?” he asked, horrified at the prospect.

Tori shook her head. “No, that wasn’t it. It was just… you held me down, and… I don’t like that.”

Luke looked at her. “Why not?”

Tori sighed and pulled her knees to her, wrapping her arms around them. “Because…” She made an angry, irritated noise and drew her hands down her face. “A couple of years ago, just before Dan and I came to camp, I was…”

Luke waited for her to continue, letting out a small breath of relief when she said, “hospitalized.” For a single, terrifying moment, he’d thought it was something worse. “Why?” he asked.

Tori wouldn’t face him. Instead she picked at the hem of her green shirt. “I saw a monster for the first time, and I was scared and I wouldn’t stop talking about it, so they hospitalized me. But I wouldn’t stop fighting them, so they handcuffed me to the bed. I got out eventually by pretending I hadn’t seen it.”

Luke nodded and frowned. Something about her story didn’t quite make sense. He felt like she was leaving something else. Like, if she’d seen a monster, why didn’t she come to camp immediately?

He considered asking her. But he didn’t want to push; not now, not after what he’d just done. His stomach rolled in rebellion against him. He felt sick. To think he’d wanted to _kiss her_ , while she was terrified out of her mind… He’d punch himself if it wouldn’t just make her more upset. Instead he just said, “I won’t do it again. I promise.”

Tori didn’t face him, but she did let out a small breath. “Thank you.”

They sat in awkward silence before Luke blurted out, “We should get back to camp. Dinner’s soon.”

It wasn’t; dinner wouldn’t be for several hours, in fact. But Tori seemed to appreciate the subject change. “Okay.” They stood and left, walking back in a strange, sad silence.

* * *

Luke listened to Tori tapping her shoe against the floor in passive-aggressive annoyance as he packed. Finally she said, “I don’t like this.”

Luke sighed wearily and turned to look at her. She was standing against the wall of Cabin 11, her lips stuck in an irritated pout that he might have liked if he hadn’t been so annoyed with her. “Really Tori? I didn’t get that the first _fifty times you said it._ ”

Tori scowled and kicked away from the wall. “I don’t get why I can’t come with you. I’m your friend, your _soulmate_.” She said ‘soulmate’ in the way she only did when she wanted something. Usually that was some of his desert. This was something that would take a _lot_ more convincing. “This is something we should do together.”

“I know, _I know_ . But Hermes wants this to be a solo quest, and what the gods want, they get.” Luke scowled bitterly, stuffing a brown shirt into his bag with far more force than necessary. Hermes had been pretty insistent about that, in fact. His son’s glory was not to be shared. “Trust me, I’d rather go with you, but it’s not my choice.” It was something of a tradition for bonded people to join their soulmates on quests, going back all the way to Achilles and Patroclus. But his _father_ had been _quite_ specific. This was to be him and him alone.

Tori pouted again and kicked the floor as though it were the source of all their problems rather than their parents. Luke continued packing while Tori stood behind him.

“Please,” Tori said, sounding like she might cry, “just let me talk to your dad. Maybe I can convince him—”

Angry and annoyed and frustrated, Luke slammed the sword he was holding onto the table, the sound echoing through the room. “ _No_.”

Tori stared at him with a touch of fear in her eyes, backing up some. Luke felt guilt flood his head and sighed. _I have to have better control of myself._ Running his fingers through his hair, he quietly said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.” He looked at her imploringly. “But there’s no point in talking about it anymore, Tori. Hermes has already decided, and I have to go along with it.”

Tori let out a breath and walked over to him, the fear gone from her eyes, he noticed with relief. She rested her head against his chest and pulled his hands up, playing with them. “I know. I just wish there were some way to know you’d be safe.”  
  
“I will be,” he promised. _And I will_ , he decided resolutely, _For her. I can do that for Tori._

Tori leaned back, and Luke let her go. A blush spreading across her nose and cheeks, she said, “I got you something.” She quickly hopped over to her personal chest and pulled something out of it before coming back with a small black box in her hand. She gave it to Luke, and he opened it curiously. Inside, a celestial bronze arrowhead lay against soft white cotton. He picked it up, watching it spin on a plain leather chord. Tori fidgeted watching him. “It’s nothing special really,” she insisted, “It’s just...well it’s the from the first arrow I ever made a perfect shot with, so I figure it’s lucky. I thought I might feel better if you had it.”

Luke remembered. Tori had been so excited, she’d left her archery lesson to tell him about it. He remembered how proud he’d been. This gift was more than just a nice piece of jewelry to him; it was a symbol of her and how far she’d come since she first arrived at camp.

He smiled and put the necklace on, letting the arrowhead fall over his heart. “I love it, Tori.” She hadn’t _called it_ an acceptance gift, but he thought _maybe_ …

Tori smiled and hugged him, throwing her arms around his neck. Luke wrapped his arms around her, pressing his body against hers. After a moment, Tori pulled back. Luke thought she might let go of him altogether, but she just stood looking at him. Without thinking about it, his eyes drifted down to her mouth. _So soft and pink..._ Then Tori leaned up to meet him. His heart was pounding as their lips brushed.

Until the cabin door slammed open. “Luke, are you ready—Oh.” It was Annabeth, staring at them emotionlessly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

His face heating, Luke pulled away from Tori as quickly as he could, not wanting to cause any of them further embarrassment. He stepped towards Annabeth, who explained, “Chiron wants to know if you’re ready to leave.”

He nodded absently, wondering how and if he should apologize to Tori. “Yeah. Just give me a minute and I’ll be out.”

Annabeth nodded and left. Luke made an irritated noise and drew his hands down his face before turning to look at Tori. She had an annoyed, cold expression that stopped him from saying what he’d meant to. _Does she regret it? Did she not want to kiss me?_ Trying to hide his uncertainty, he said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know she was going to interrupt.”

“It’s fine,” Tori said in a clipped, _it’s not actually fine and you’re an idiot if you think it is_ tone. She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her forearm to stop her, careful not to hold too tight. He didn’t know what to say, so instead he ran his thumb over one of the blue pieces of sea glass.

Tori joined him in silently staring at her bracelet for a moment. Then he said, “I’ll talk to you when I get back, okay?” Hopefully both their minds would be clear then. Tori nodded, smiling slightly when Luke leaned down and kissed her forehead. He stepped away from her and picked up his bag, walking to the door. When he’d opened it and Tori still hadn’t moved, he turned and asked playfully, “What? You’re not coming to see me off?”

Tori grinned and walked outside with him. Luke felt lighter than ever as the sun shone down on them.

* * *

Luke watched the dragon with a sword in hand, looking for any potential weaknesses. Its eyes were an obvious soft spot, but they were also tiny, and a short sword was hardly a long range weapon. From what he knew about lizards, their underbellies were without the tough scales of the rest of their bodies, but that didn’t necessarily apply to dragons. His best bet would probably be to try to get past it rather than fight.

If it hadn’t been for the dragon that might kill him at any moment, Luke would have liked this place. The flowers were some of the brightest, most brilliant colors he’d ever seen. Polished black stepping stones surrounded either side of a fifty-foot tall apple tree. Its branches were heavy with glittering gold apples. In other circumstances, he might have wanted to come here with Tori. The place smelled of apple blossoms… and smoke.

Ladon had a thick, serpent-like body with shiny copper scales. He had so many heads that at first, Luke had mistaken him for a hydra. The dragon was asleep for the moment, its heads piled together in a mound on the ground.

Before Luke could move, the air started to shimmer. Four figures appeared; young women with brown skin and silky black hair, each of them wearing a white _chiton_.

 _Hesperides_ , Luke thought, facing them. Atlas’s daughters.

Luke lowered his sword and smiled his widest, most charming smile. “Hi!”

The girls stared at him, apparently having not expected that. The one on the left recovered first, straightening and giving him a suspicious look with black eyes. “Who are you? This is not your place.”

“I’m Luke, son of Hermes, grandson of Zeus. And you are?”

“I will not tell you, silver-tongue. Why are you here?”

“Hermes sent me,” sometimes the best way to get what you wanted was the truth. And sometimes it was important to emphasize a _very particular_ part of the truth. “As I’m sure you know, Hermes is the favorite son of Zeus, who gifted this tree to Hera as a wedding gift. My father wants me to bring back one of the apples. Unless, one of you wants to stop me?”

The girls shifted uncomfortably. None of them wanted to risk upsetting Zeus, not with their father already imprisoned. “We shall not disturb you,” one of them said, and then they faded away as quickly as they’d gone.

The path to the tree was clear now… except for the dragon. This was the tricky part. Luke set the pack he was carrying on the ground and opened it. He pulled out the rope with the grappling hook and looked to the tree. The branches were long and thick — plenty of room for him to climb up.

He readied the hook and walked over to the tree. Ladon’s body wrapped around the tree, so Luke walked over to the side opposite the dragon’s head. It was just far enough away from either end for him to avoid the claws and mouths if Ladon woke up. Luke looked up and started to swing the rope, quickly throwing it up. The rope went over one of the lower branches, and Luke pulled it back until the grappling hook clawed the wood. Luke pulled it once, twice, to make sure it wouldn’t break. When he was certain it would hold, he put on the leather gloves he’d brought to protect his hands. Careful to make sure he didn’t disturb Ladon, Luke started to climb.

The rope was sturdy, but it kept swinging as though to taunt him. Luke’s breathing grew harsh as he tried not to think about falling and dying horribly. He let out a breath of relief when he reached the branch and settled himself. Once he did, he reached forward and plucked one of the gold apples. The tree released it without a fight. He was surprised by how easy it was. Really, he should have known better than to think that.

Luke tried to grab the rope to get down, but he slipped. Instead of going down the rope, he fell out of the tree, apple still in hand. He shouted out in pain when he landed on something large and painful. It took him a moment to realize it wasn’t the ground, if only because the ground didn’t roar.

Luke rolled over and knelt, trying to catch his bearings. Groaning, he looked up and froze.

Ladon was awake.

Luke tried to run, but Ladon rose and turned to see him. The monster _hissed_ , a horrible, high-pitched sound that made his ears ring. The dragon lurched towards him, and its huge body knocked him to the ground. Luke ducked and rolled onto his back, trying to stand up—

Fiery pain streaked across his face.

“ _AHHH!_ ” Luke didn’t try to fight. He didn’t draw his sword. He ran, clutching his face with one hand. Red flowed past his fingers. _Blood_ , he realized. _Ladon cut me._

Luke kept running. The dragon didn’t follow him; one little demigod was not worth leaving his tree.

He didn’t run all the way to camp, but he almost wanted to. The pain wouldn’t go away; his face felt like he'd been branded. Confused and with nowhere to go, he trekked through the woods that stood on wither side of a road and took shelter in a tall tree. Rain battered the branches, each of them feeling as cold as ice.

Luke leaned his head back against the trunk and let himself breathe. He had tied his bag to the branch he was in, and he opened it now, pulling out a baggie of ambrosia. He took a piece out and put it to his lips before stopping.

For a moment, he wasn’t sure why. The pain was excruciating; why wouldn’t he want it gone?

 _All this_ , he thought, suddenly bitter, _for a fucking apple._ Really? He trained for _years_ , lost Thalia, and left Tori behind at Hermes’s insistence, and he couldn’t think of anything better than something that had already been done _3,000 years ago?!_

Luke put the ambrosia away and climbed down the branches of the tree until he was low enough to jump. Taking his bag, he walked until he found the road that cut the forest in half, then kept going until he found a rest stop. The bathroom was blessedly empty. He locked the door and set his stuff down before looking at himself in the mirror. It wasn’t a pretty sight. He was soaked and shivering from his walk in the rain, and the blood had dried to his face. Shaking his head, he opened his bag and took out what first aid supplies he’d brought. He washed the wound with warm water from the sink before disinfecting it. His face hurt like he’d been bathing in acid, but it would keep him alive. After that he bandaged it to the best of his ability, which wasn't very good. He might have laughed at his appearance if this whole thing wasn’t as far from funny as possible.

 _Well_ , he thought, _at least Dan won’t call me pretty boy again._

He froze suddenly as he thought of Tori for the first time since he’d seen the garden. _Fuck. What will she think? What… what…_ He shook his head to clear his thoughts. _Tori will understand_ , he told himself, _She’s my soulmate. She won’t leave me, not now when I need her most._

* * *

Demigods healed faster than humans, so his wound had already fixed itself into a pink scar by the time he was home. Someone spotted him as soon as he made it to the top of the hill. He sighed in annoyance as the young camper shouted out, “LUKE!” and started running to the hill before suddenly changing direction for the big house. Before he realized what was happening, a crowd was surging towards the hill, like ants. Luke closed his eyes and carefully controlled his breathing, moving to lean back against Thalia’s tree.

Soon the other campers started to form a crowd in front of him. Most were smiling as they walked, but their faces changed the second they saw him. One of them, Connor, stared at his older brother with a stunned expression, for once lacking any amusement or mischief. “Luke… what happened?”

Not wanting to answer, Luke turned to look at the hill and found himself face to face with Tori. He looked at his soulmate like he was seeing her for the first time. _She’s changed._ Not while he was gone, but since she’d first come to camp; it had been so gradual that he hadn’t really noticed before now. She was taller, leaner. Her muscles had grown and asserted themselves from archery and swordplay. Her face had lost much of its childlike-softness, making her look more like an adult. Even her eyes seemed older, stronger. Yet there was still a gentleness to her that Thalia never had. He hoped she never lost it.

 _She’s beautiful._ And there he was with an ugly scar down his face because he couldn’t even steal a fucking _apple_ right. _She deserves better._ Her arrowhead suddenly felt like it weighed ten pounds, straining his neck and chest. You couldn’t choose your soulmate, but you _could_ choose the people you were in a relationship with. He wouldn’t blame her if she chose someone better than him.

Tori had stopped moving as soon as she saw his face, her smile falling away to be replaced by a look of shock and horror. Luke winced. _Even you, Tori?_

She shook off her expression and pushed through the crowd to get to him. She was smiling now, and he couldn’t tell if it was real or not. “Luke!” She reached for his hand, but he pulled it back, feeling guilt flood him at the hurt look on her face. _She’ll be fine. She doesn’t need me anymore, if she ever did._ “Luke?” she said quietly.

He made himself smile. “Hey, Tori.” Then Chiron arrived, and Luke was saved from having to face her.

There was a feast in his honor that night, and the rest of camp was happy to talk for him. Tori tried to sit by him, but he positioned himself in between two of his siblings, Travis on one side and his sister Laura on the other. Tori gave him a dirty look, but he pretended not to see it. He stood as soon as dinner was over to lead the procession to the bonfire, carefully avoiding her.

As was camp tradition, a shroud had been made for in case Luke died. His throat clenched when he saw it. He could tell immediately that Tori had helped with it since it was brown and gold, even though no one else in their cabin had met their soulmate. The shroud was made of rich silk, and had a pattern of daggers embroidered on it. He was almost sad to burn Tori’s handiwork, though he wasn’t sure if she’d actually helped make it or just picked out the colors.

The campers disbanded after the campfire, leaving him without anything to keep Tori away. Naturally, she ambushed him immediately. “Luke!” she shouted. He kept walking. “Luke, _get back here!_ ”

He stopped so suddenly, Tori almost ran into him. He turned to look at her, angry and frustrated and tired. “ _What?_ ”

Tori stared at him, wary. Luke felt his heart start to crack. “You haven’t talked to me all day. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”  

 _I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m_ — “Yeah, I’m fine. Is that it?” He turned and left before she could say anything.

* * *

Luke avoided Tori for several weeks afterwards. His bed felt strange without her beside him, but he could get used to it. She still silently insisted on sitting next to him during meals, but he ignored her to the best of his ability, only ever responding to her with nods and single-word sentences. He wanted to go to their training sessions, but he couldn’t face her. Tori was… beautiful, and kind, and strong and much better than he deserved.

It still hurt when she stopped going.

He didn’t like being around people too much, but the Hermes Cabin was pretty much the antithesis of privacy. He took to sitting in the woods whenever he had the time. His favorite place was the river that bisected the woods, though sometimes it made him think of the time he and Tori were wrestling.

Luke left lunch early one day to head to the woods. He took the gold apple with him. He hated that gaudy thing, but he felt like he couldn’t get rid of it. Hermes hadn’t come to take it, or to see him at all since the quest. He didn’t go to the river this time; Tori had been staring at him during lunch, and he didn’t want to think of her. Instead, he found a random log and sat down, staring at the apple.

During his quest, he would grip Tori's pendant whenever he started to doubt himself. He knew he should give it back to her, but he wanted to keep it. It might be the only part of her he had left. _Was it worth it, Hermes? An apple for a scar? My mom’s sanity for your ego?_

Before he could brood any further, he heard someone behind him. Thinking it was a monster, he dropped the apple and gripped his sword’s handle. He relaxed when he realized it was Tori, but he rolled his eyes and turned away from her. “What do you want, Tori?” _She doesn’t give up, does she?_ , he thought, part annoyed, part pleased.

“First of all,” she said, gesturing with her bow, “you shouldn’t just go in the woods without telling anyone where you’re going. I don’t care how angsty you feel, that’s dangerous.”

 _And fighting a dragon isn’t?_ That wasn’t entirely fair, he knew; Tori had been against him going alone, or even at all. But he had trouble caring at the moment. “Fine. Now what do you want?”

She tensed, and seemed to be willing herself not to get angry. It did not work. “You’re not the _only_ person whose life has been ruined by the gods, you know. So you can stop acting like it.”

“What do you know about it?” he snapped venomously. “You’re not the one who has to live with this!” he threw his hand up next to his scar. He hoped he wasn’t showing his pain on his face; judging by Tori’s expression, it wasn’t working.

Then Tori did something completely unexpected. She dropped her bow and quiver on the ground, turned around, and pulled her shirt off.

Luke felt his face heat up as he made a choking noise. “What are you—” his voice caught in his throat when he saw the scars. There were three of them, starting from the top of her arm, down her shoulder and stretching down her back. There were incredibly jagged, like whatever had made them had jerked the knife or claws or whatever had done it around. Luke stared at them for what felt like an eternity. Then, without wanting to, he gently started to trace the longest of them. “What happened to you?”

“Before I came to camp,” she said, her voice shaking, “a hellhound found me and my mom at our house. I got out. She didn’t.” A beat passed, and she continued, sounding like she was going to cry, “She died _screaming_ for Apollo to save her, but he didn’t. He didn’t do _anything_ .” She _was_ crying then, and her voice cracked painfully.

Luke couldn’t take it. He turned Tori around and wrapped his arms around, pulling her to him. She clutched his shirt, sobbing into his chest. Luke rubbed her back with one hand, pressing his fingertips into the scars. _I’m sorry I didn’t understand. I’m sorry I made you feel so alone that the only way you could get through to me was in a way that hurt you. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry._ “My mom,” Luke began, his voice low, “when I was a baby, she tried to host the Oracle of Delphi. My dad told her about it. He knew it was a bad idea, but he let her do it anyway. And when she did, it… changed something in her. She went insane. I remember having to hide in a closet or under my bed when it got really bad. I ran away when I was nine because I couldn’t take it anymore.” It was all he could do to keep from shaking. The image of his mother with glowing green eyes, ranting about what she saw… _Will this make it right, Tori? I’m hurting myself because I hurt you. I’m sorry, I’m sorry._ "That’s when I met Thalia and Annabeth. We lived together for years before Grover found us and brought us to camp. Thalia died making sure we got through the barrier.”

Tori held him tighter, her head pressed against his chest. Luke ran his fingers over one of her scars again. “Do they hurt?” he asked quietly. _I’d kill Apollo, if I could, Tori. I’d spend_ years _hunting him down and fighting him if I had to, to make him pay for what he did to you._ He realized something then, something wonderful and terrifying. _I love you, Tori. I love you so much._

Tori shook her head. “No. Does yours?”  
  
Luke thought about it. It didn’t hurt, really, and hadn’t since the day before he came back to camp, when it had fully scarred over. But still... “It doesn’t hurt, exactly. It just... aches sometimes.” They stood in silence for a moment before he said, “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. That you didn’t know anything about… what I’m going through. And, about how I’ve been acting lately. You didn’t deserve that.” _I’m sorry. I love you._  
  
“It’s okay,” she tells him, her voice muffled against his shirt. “Just don’t block me out like that again, alright?”  
  
“I won’t.”  
  
“Promise?”  
  
Luke nodded. He thought of kissing her. She was looking at him with those brown eyes, so sweet and good and strong. _Does she love me like I love her?_ He didn’t know, so he settled for kissing the top of her head. “Promise.”  
  
They were silent for a moment before Tori said, “I’ve never told anyone about this. Well, except for Dan. I didn’t really have a choice with him, though.”  
  
Luke stared into her eyes. Looking at her, so small and kind, made him want to tear Olympus apart stone from stone for what the gods had done. “I’m glad you told me.”  
  
Before she could respond, the camp horn blew for their next activity.  
  
Luke made a small, annoyed noise in the back of his throat. “We should go.” Luke unwrapped his arms from around her and picked her shirt up from the ground. Tori blushed and took it from him, murmuring a thank you. She pulled her shirt on before picking up her bow and quiver. Then, almost as if she couldn’t stop herself, she picked up the golden apple and silently handed it to Luke. He took it carefully and stared at it. _Was it worth it, Hermes? Apollo? Your children’s happiness for golden apples?_ He turned and threw it as far as he could.  
  
They walked back in silence.

* * *

Luke burst through the water dramatically, turning to look for Tori. She was laying down on a towel on the beach, completely ignoring him. Luke huffed. _What’s a guy have to do for a bit of attention?_ He waded out of the water and walked over to where Tori was. She turned to see him, smiling when she did. She was wearing a reddish-purple swim top that covered her stomach, but left her scars exposed. That pleased him in a strange, primal sort of way, that he was the only one she trusted with this.

He kept walking until he was standing next to her, frowning up at the sky when he felt a raindrop fall on his arm. “Looks like it’s gonna rain.” That was a bit of an understatement. The sky was completely grey with clouds, and Luke thought he might even hear thunder.

Tori shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s okay. I like the rain.”  
  
“Yeah?” He asked, sitting next to her.  
  
Tori nodded, grinning like a child. “My mom liked to take me and Dan to the roof and dance when it rained.”  
  
Luke smiled and leaned back on his hands. “Really?”  
  
“Yeah.” Tori laughed. “She was a terrible dancer! It always took me a minute to get into it. I was afraid someone would see us. But once I did… it was like there was nothing else in the world I’d rather be doing.” There’s a wistful note to her voice that made him want to hug her. He was suddenly bitter that he would never get to meet this woman that Tori missed, and would never know whether she liked him or not.  
  
He made himself shrug it off. Today was not the day for that. It was a day for him and Tori to spend together, and hopefully forget for a while what Clarisse had done only a few weeks ago. Luke smiles softly at his soulmate before standing up and reaching out his hand. “Come on.”  
  
Tori frowned, but took his hand. “What?”

Luke grinned. “Let’s dance.”

Tori’s eyebrows raised in surprise, and she looked up at the grey sky. “Right now?”  
  
“What better time?” He pulled her up and into his arms. Their hands laced together as they started to dance, swaying at first before Luke suddenly pushed her out, spinned her, and pulled her back to him. Tori laughed happily as rain began to fall. The world turned grey, but he didn’t care. He could still see her, with her brown eyes and gold hair and pink lips. What other colors did he need?  
  
They danced together for a while longer, spinning, swaying, and dipping. Then they just stood together, hearts pounding as they stared at each other. Without warning, Tori reached up and brushed the skin under Luke’s eyes with her thumbs.  
  
“Tori?” Luke said quietly.  
  
She looked up at him. “Yeah?”  
  
“I don’t think I want to be just friends anymore.”  
  
Tori stared at him long enough for him to wonder if he’d made a mistake before saying, “Oh, thank _gods_.” Without warning, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Surprised, Luke smiled against her mouth and kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer.  
  
It wasn’t a ‘middle of the afternoon’ kiss. It’s not an ‘oh hey, it’s our first, so why don’t we try and figure out how we fit’ kiss. And it definitely was not a ‘hmm, not really sure but what the heck’ kiss. It was an ‘I could swallow you whole’ kiss. An ‘I have to get as much of you as possible’ kiss. A ‘you are _mine-mine-mine_ and no one else’s’ kiss. Luke didn’t want it to end. They stood there, alone and yet feeling more alive and complete then they ever had, and wished it could last forever.

* * *

“I like your haircut,” Tori said suddenly.

Luke’s eyes opened as if he’d been electrocuted. “What?” They’d been sitting alongside the river in silence when Tori made her proclamation for seemingly no reason.

“Your new haircut,” Tori repeated, her cheeks slowly turning pink, “I just sort of… noticed it, and I thought I should say something.”

“Oh,” Luke said, “Thank you. I like your hair, too.” It was kind of awkward to say, but true. Tori’s hair was long and golden-blonde, falling to her back in waves that were perfectly in between straight and curly. Luke reached out and curled a lock of it around one of his fingers before letting it fall back to her chest.

“Thank you,” Tori said, and leaned over him slightly to draw one of her fingers down his bicep. “I like your arms, too. They’re so strong and muscular.”

Luke playfully arched an eyebrow. “Oh?” He wasn’t sure what had made Tori suddenly start rhapsodizing about his looks, but he wasn’t about to stop her.

Tori nodded and squeezed his bicep, staring at it intently. She moved her hand up his arm and to his collarbone. “I like your chest. That day at the beach when we first kissed… I could hardly stop myself from staring when you came out of the water. If we’d been dating then, I don’t think I would have.”

“And your _back_ ,” she continued, her voice thick, “So strong from sword fighting. The other day, when it got hot and you took your shirt off while you practiced…” she made a happy noise, “I thought I might pass out. I wouldn’t have minded.” She froze suddenly, then chuckled, moving her hand so she could brush Luke’s cheekbone with her thumb. “Can’t believe I almost forgot about this. Your cheekbones, your mouth, your eyes…” She grinned and kissed him sweetly. “I’m a lucky girl.”

Was he dreaming? No… Tori would be wearing less clothes if he was.

“What brought this on, all of a sudden?” Luke asked, quickly trying to fix his husky voice. “Not that I don’t like it, but still, it’s a bit out of the blue.”

Tori shrugged halfheartedly, tracing Luke’s chest with her hand. “I don’t know. I just… I don’t say it very often. I think about it a lot, but I never say it, and I thought you should know.” She shrugged again, looking slightly less sure of herself now.

Luke grinned. “A lot, huh?” Tori blushed and averted her eyes from his. Luke’s smile softened and he caressed her chin, encouraging her to look at him. “Tori?”

“Yeah?”

“What makes you… like me?” he asked, feeling strangely self-conscious. “Apart from my rugged good looks, of course.”

Tori considered it and pressed the palm of her hand over Luke’s pendant. “I don’t know, exactly. I think most of it is the way you make me feel; like I’m needed, like you don't know what you'd do without me—"

"I don't," Luke cut in.

Tori smiled and kissed him once before continuing. "And when you’re around… it’s not necessarily that I’m happy. But it’s easier, like the difference between a stormy day and a sunny one. Sure, I can be happy on a stormy day, and not all sunny days are good, but it’s easier — _better_ , even — when it’s sunny, and the world seems more beautiful to me. You know?”

Luke nodded, staring at her eyes. “I do.” He pulled her down for a kiss, chaste at first, but quickly turning heated as Tori moved to straddle his waist, and he took her hips in his hands. Before they could get far, her hair fell around them like a curtain, and Luke made a noise when some of it tickled him. Tori pulled back and made an annoyed sound when she realized what had happened. “Sorry,” she muttered, “I’m getting my hair all over you.”

“I don’t mind,” Luke said honestly, wanting to get back to what they’d been doing, “It just tickles.”

Tori scrunched her nose up. “I hate to be tickled.”

Luke smiled mischievously at her. “Oh, _really?_ ”

Tori started to back away, holding a hand out to stop him as he started to move towards her. “Luke…” Then she shouted as he pounced, knocking her to the ground. Tori tried to push him off, only to start howling in laughter when Luke tickled her stomach. “No, no!” He only tickled her harder, and she shouted out loud, her hands moving to fight his off. She finally managed to stave him off, and immediately returned the favor, tickling his chest and stomach and arms.

“ _No, Tori, please, have mercy!_ ” Tori did not have mercy. Tori was a cruel woman who delighted in his suffering.

They kept at it for several minutes, switching between tickled to tickler and back again, until they were too tired to continue. Luke breathed hard, exhausted. “Truce?” he offered.

Tori nodded, her chest heaving from exertion. “Truce.” Then she kissed his cheek and yawned. “I’m tired, I want to take a nap.”

Luke looked around them. They weren’t very deep in the woods, but that didn’t mean this was a safe place to sleep. He nodded as he made a decision and stood up.

Tori looked at him in confusion. “What are you—” Then she yelped when Luke scooped her up in his arms. “Luke!”

He only smiled at her. “You said you wanted a nap, so I’m taking you back to the cabin.”

Tori huffed, but did not try to get down. Luke carried her all the way back to Cabin 11, ignoring the stares of the other campers, and set her down in her bed. Then, when he went to get in his own bed for a nap — tickle fights can take a lot out of a guy — she got out of hers and immediately went to lay down with him. Luke merely gave her a look when she did this, then shrugged, and set his chin on the top of her head. Tori was in the middle of nuzzling Luke’s chest when someone said, “Um, you guys, you know you’re not supposed to—”

“Fuck off,” Tori said. They did.

* * *

Tori leaned into Luke’s side, looking up at the blue-black sky with a blissful sigh. “It’s beautiful tonight.”  
  
“It is,” Luke said. He smiled when she realized he wasn't talking about stars. _A thousand stars would have nothing on you._  
  
Tori lay back against their blanket. They were on the flat roof of the Hermes Cabin, looking at the constellations. It had been Tori’s idea to come up here after Luke woke up from a bad dream. He’d been having a lot of them lately, weird dreams with a man’s cold voice encouraging him to do… something. He couldn’t remember. He always felt angry when they were over though, and Tori was the only one who could ever get him to calm down completely.  
  
Luke snaps and points out a constellation. “That’s Andromeda.”  
  
“Oh! I remember her!” Tori said excitedly, grinning like an over-excited child, “She was chained to a rock to be killed after someone bragged about something. Probably.”  
  
Luke laughed, pushing away his bitterness for the moment. “Basically, yeah. And there’s the Scorpion, right behind Orion.”  
  
“Right, right, because Apollo put the scorpion in the sky to chase Orion after he died because he didn’t like that Orion was into Artemis.” Tori frowned. For a moment, Luke thought it was because of her dad, but then she said, “Are any of these stories happy?”  
  
_No._ “I’ll get back to you on that.”  
  
Tori rested her head on top of his arm, smiling gently. “My mom used to love looking at the stars. She’d make up songs about the constellations and we’d sing them together.”  
  
Luke turned to look at her in surprise. He knew she played the guitar of course — she’d once threatened to throw him into the lake if he got it wet — but singing… “I didn’t know you sing.”  
  
“Oh yeah, I used to love to sing, but I never do anymore.”  
  
“Why not?” he asked, trying not to push.  
  
Tori shrugged. “It’s not the same. I don’t have anyone to sing for.”  
  
Luke rolled onto his stomach and looked at her, memorizing every curve and line of her face, not for the first time. “Can you sing for me?”  
  
Tori looked at him and nervously bit her lip. “I don’t know. I haven’t sung in forever. What would I even sing?”  
  
Luke shrugged. “Whatever you want.”  
  
Tori considered it for a minute or so, playing with Luke’s hands. Luke almost thought she had decided not to before she quietly started to sing. “ _I keep a close watch on this heart of mine. I keep my eyes wide open all the time. I keep the ends out for the tie that binds. Because you’re mine, I walk the line._ ” Luke stared at her, mesmerized. “ _I find it very very easy to be true. I find myself alone when each day is through. Yes, I’ll admit that I’m a fool for you. Because you’re mine, I walk the line. Because you’re mine, I walk the line._ ” Tori hummed the pause between lyrics, her eyes fluttering closed as she lost herself in the song, “ _You’ve got a way, to, keep me on your side. You give me cause, for, love that I can’t hide. For you I’d know I’d even try to turn the tide. Because you’re mine, I walk—_ ”  
  
He couldn’t control himself anymore. Moving quickly, he put his hands on either side of her head as he kissed her roughly, _passionately_. Tori laughed when they stopped for breath. “Was my singing that bad?”  
  
Luke shook his head, leaving kisses down her throat. “No. It was that _good_.” Tori’s laugh turned into a surprised squeak when Luke moved from her neck her collarbone, pulling her shirt down slightly to get to it. He stopped when he hears her and looks up at Tori nervously. _Maybe I went to far._ “Is this okay?”  
  
Tori nodded wildly, a bit breathless. “Yeah.” She took a moment to calm down before she sitting up. They faced each other, both wondering if they should make the next move. Then Tori that leaned forward to take Luke’s head in her hands and kiss him, first on his forehead, then his nose, and finally his mouth.  
  
The kiss was chaste at first, barely anything more than pressing their lips together. But it didn’t take long to escalate, and soon Tori was mapping out Luke’s mouth with her tongue, leaning into him as much as she could without falling forward completely. _Well, I should make that easier for her._ Her hands were splayed against his chest for balance, and as soon as she stopped for air, Luke grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his lap, leaning forward to nip her neck. But then Tori squeaked, and Luke realized she could feel his erection against her. Luke pulls back, frowning, a nervous look in his eyes. “Do you want to stop?”  
  
Tori looked at him. For a moment, her expression was uncertain, but then it changed. She looked sure of herself, and of him, and that yes, this _was_ what she wanted and Luke almost kissed her again. “No,” she said, “I want to keep going. You?”  
  
“Yeah,” Luke said, nodding slowly, “Yeah, I want to keep going.”  
  
Tori smiled and kisses him, gripping the neck of his shirt with both hands and wrapping her legs around him while Luke held her to him by her waist, digging his nails into her back almost without realizing it. As their kisses grow more heated, her hands drifted down to the hem of his shirt. She broke the kiss, looking down at Luke’s shirt then up at him. He realized that she was asking if _he_ wanted this, and the only way he could keep himself from saying _yes, please please please yes,_ was to clear his throat and nod. Tori’s face broke into a grin as she pulled the shirt up and off him, throwing it to the side. Her hands were on him in an instant, rubbing up and down his chest and abdomen while her hips rolled. Luke heard himself gasp when she did, pleasure running up and down his body like little currents, and before he knew it, he had pushed Tori back onto the blanket and was getting undressed. Tori laughed when she realized this, and started to take her own clothes off. Soon, all they were wearing was his pendant and Tori’s bracelet.

Luke leaned over her, his arrowhead dangling over her heart, and focused entirely on her, staring into her eyes. _She’s so beautiful_. He considered saying it, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment by speaking. Tori shivered, her whole body moving when she did, and reached up to kiss him.

Luke spotted her face with gentle butterfly kisses. He kissed up and down her neck, her stomach, her legs, her breasts. She returned the favor wherever she could reach, tracing his cheeks, brow, scar, chest, back, butt, arms, thighs… But it’s not enough. He wants more, and he _knows_ she does too. He can see it in her eyes, shining like onyx in the moonlight. But for a minute, neither of them did anything to take that next step. They stared into each other’s eyes as though to acknowledge just how bad an idea this could be… then Tori kissed him, and he didn’t care about what might go wrong, only about what felt right.

Tori took the initiative and used her hands to guide him inside her, and _oh_ , that felt good. But he heard the breath Tori sucked in, and held himself still to give her — and himself too, honestly — time to adjust. It was… difficult. Tori felt good; wet and warm and soft. When he couldn’t take it anymore and was sure she was good, Luke whined and started to rock his hips, moving carefully. Tori just chuckled and wrapped her legs around his hips, encouraging him to move. Grateful, he did, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed.

Tori groaned and let her head fall back, drawing her nails down his back. Luke moaned, liking the way it stung. His eyes flew open when Tori gasped suddenly because of the way he'd moved, digging her nails deeper into his back, possibly drawing blood. He found it hard to care about that when she said, “ _Fuck_ , Luke, _do that again._ ” Luke smirked at her, feeling slightly smug, but Tori didn’t seem to notice; she was too busy biting down on her lip to keep herself from shouting out. Luke smiled when she hitched her legs higher around his waist, nearly to his ribs, and started to move faster, _harder_ , and oh _fuck_ , that felt good, and _oh fuck, yes, yes, oh, OH—_

Luke was only slightly drawn out of his pleasure when Tori bit into his shoulder to stifle her own shout. It didn’t take much to draw him back in, and he followed her soon after, only barely preventing himself from collapsing on top of his soulmate. For a couple of minutes, they stayed in each other’s arms while Luke traced Tori’s scars and she played with his hair. But all good things must come to an end, so they eventually got and up and dressed, stealing shy glances at each other before turning away.  
  
Tori bundled up the blanket and went back to the Hermes Cabin while Luke returned the ladder. She was waiting for him when he got back, sitting patiently on his bed in a fresh set of clothes. He smiled when he saw her and sped up, nearly tripping over a couple of people on the floor in his effort to get there faster. He glared at Tori when he saw that she was only barely holding in a laugh, which only seemed to make it worse. She grinned cheekily at him once he was at the bed put her arms around his waist, pulling him down and covering them both with blankets. She yawned and mumbled, _love you_ , nuzzling his chest. She fell asleep before she could notice, but Luke just smiled and kissed the top of her head, whispering it back before he joined her.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me @tori-castellan on tumblr.


End file.
